Sliding-door fastener.



A. l. HOLM.l

SLIDING DOOR FASTENER.

APPLlcATIoN mso MAY 3. 191s.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

THE COLUMBIA PMNOGRAPH co., wAsmNGToN, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS J. HOLM, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

SLIDING-DOOR FASTENER.

Application led May 3, 1915.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS J. HoLM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sliding-Door Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to locks for doors arranged to slide and is designed especially for service in locking the doors of elevator shafts.

The object of the invention is to provide simple, economical and easily operated means for holding such doors reliably in the closed Condition.

The invention consists in certain novel features and details of construction and arrangement by which the above objects are attained, to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show two approved forms of the invention.

Figure 1 is an elevation showing a portion of the interior of an elevator shaft, with the door equipped with a preferred form of locking means, in the locked condition. Fig. 2 is a corresponding horizontal section and plan view. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1, seen from the right in such figure. Fig. 4 is a similar view on the same line and seen from the left. Fig. 5 is a vertical section and elevation on a larger scale, showing a cushioning device in detail. Fig. 6 is an elevation corresponding to Fig. 1 but on a smaller scale and showing a modified form of the invention. Fig. 7 is a vertical section and elevation taken on the line 7*?" in Fig. 6 and seen from the right. Fig. 8 is a similar view on the same line, seen from the left.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

The main feature of the invention, common to both the forms illustrated, is a bar or strut interposed horizontally in the line of travel of the door, between the edge of the door and a fixed abutment, which may be a portion of the casing or wall, when the door is closed, holding the latter' positively looked until the bar is moved to a position in which it no longer obstructs the door in its opening movement.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, A is Specication of Letters '.Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

serial No. 25,423.

the door, shown as supported by hangers B B on a track or rail C and adapted to travel thereon in the opening and closing movements, and D is a portion of the opposite wall of the elevator shaft serving as an abutment for the lock.

On the inner face of the door A is a plate E having a portion E1 extending over and applying upon the edge of the door to serve as a housing for the end of a stiff strut or bar F of metal pivoted at one end in the housing at e, and which in the depressed or locked condition extends horizontally be tween such housing and the portion D of the wall. The outer end is preferably equipped with a vertical roller G received in a vertical guide or channel H secured to the wall D.

J is a lever fulcrumed on the plate E at e1 having a projecting knob or handle K by which the lever may be oscillated vertically in a plane parallel with the face of the door to swing the long arm J2 thro-ugh a vertical arc. The arm J2 is pivotally attached to a sleeve L inclosing the bar F and mounted to slide longitudinally thereon or to permit the bar to slide in the sleeve.

M is a spring attached at one end to the underface of the bar F and at the other to the edge of the door at a low point, tending by its contractile force to swing the bar downward to the horizontal or locked position.

The operation of the door and its locking bar is as follows z-Assuming the door to be closed and the bar in the horizontal position, as shown in full lines in Fig. l, the operator on the car, not sho-wn, depresses the lever J by forcing down the knob K, thus swinging the long arm J2 upwardly and through the medium of the sleeve L correspondingly swinging the bar F in opposition to the spring M, into the vertical position parallel with and upon the edge of the door; the latter is thus freed and the operator still holding the knob K depressed moves the latter with the door and bar toward the wall D, the roller G entering the channel H which is notched at k to accommodate the sleeve L and permit the full opening movement of the door. Thus conditioned the door is open, and, by reason of the draft of the spring being nearly in line with the center or pivot e of the bar when in this vertical position, the force of the spring is approximately neutralized and balanced by the inertia and friction of the door so that the latter maintains itself in the open position or is thus held by an extremely slight effort of the operator. An upward movement of the knob K initiates the closing movement and the door when thus released and started will be closed automatically by the action of the spring M in its effort to draw down the bar, the roller G descending along the channel H until it is arrested by a stop N at the lower end of the channel so located as to stop the downward swing of the bar when the latter reaches the horizontal in which position it again acts as a strut or stiff brace between the edge of the door and the wall to prevent reopening.

The stop N is preferably a block of rubber serving to cushion the impact of the roller in its rapid movement at the end of its downvward travel; and P is a stop protruding from the edge of the door aboveI the pivot c and mounted to slide telescopically in a casing R in opposition to the force of a spring S in the casing when struck by the bar F in its upward unlocking swing and cushion th(` impact of the bar against the edge of the door. The spring S thus compressed also serves by its reexpansion as an aid in initiating the closing movement of the door by forcing the latter from the bar when it is held in the vertical position against the channel H.

The channel is slotted at one or more points as h1 in the path of the roller in its descent, the slots serving as notched abutments for the roller and bar to hold the latter in an inclined position in the event of failure to complete the closing movement and thus to hold the door effectually locked against a further opening movement while permitting the closing movement to be completed without opposition.

The lever J has a spur J4 on its inner face adapted to engage frictionally in a cavity zi in a plate T, by the spring of the lever, and thus holds the bar in the vertical elevated position in opposition to the downward pull of the spring M.

L1 is a shoe of hardened steel in the form of a strip interposed between the interior of the sleeve L and under face of the bar to lessen the wear.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, the door A1 slides as before and carries a lever J1 having a knob or handle K1 and a long arm J3 connected by a link V to a bar F1 extending horizontally as before between the edge of the door A1 and wall D1 when in the locked condition, but pivoted at the outer end to such wall at c2 and having a roller G1 on its inner end arranged to travel in a channel H1 on the edge of the door. In operating this modified form the knob K1 is depressed thus swinging the bar F1 to the vertical againsf the wall D1 and releasing the door; the latter is then moved in the direction to open, the knob K1 moving gradually upward as required by link V, until the opening movement is completed and the edge of the door strikes the roller G1. A spring M1 attached to the bar F1 and wall D1 tends to draw the bar to the horizontal, as before, and a block N1 of rubber receives the roller on its descent. A spring stop or cushion P1 set in the wall D1 softens the blow due to the rapid elevation of the bar F1 to the vertical. Slots h2 in the channel H1 perform the same function as above described in offering abutments for the bar F1 when for any reason the closing movement is arrested before completion.

In the arrangen'ient first described the bar and its operating means are carried by the door, thus permitting the invention to be adapted for service with shafts in which a portion of the shaft adjacent to the door is constructed to swing outwardly, with the door, and thus offer a greater opening for loading or unloading the elevator.

Other modifications may be made in the means for operating the bar, and parts may be used without the whole. The roller may be omitted as may the cushioning devices, and the channel or guide-way, and the springs may be differently arranged or omitted or other' means as weights substituted therefor as may be found necessary or desirable in adapting the invention to various conditions of service.

The bar may be as light as is consistent with the strength and stiffness required, and in situations in which it is desirable to conserve all the available door-opening space, the bar when in the vertical position may lie wholly or partially inclosed in a groove formed in the edge of the door to receive it.

l. claim l. A sliding door, a fixed abutment in the path of the edge of said door, and a bar extended in such path between said edge and abutment and disposed in direct opposition to the movement of said door toward such abutment in the locked condition, said bar pivoted at one end only, at a fixed point in such path, to swing vertically in the latter and having the other end free, and means for automatically moving said bar to the locked position when said door is moved from said abutment.

2. A sliding door, a fixed abutment in the path of the edge of said door, and a bar of substantially the same length as the distance between said edge and abutment, to be normally disposed substantially horizontally between such edge and abutment in the locked condition. said bar pivoted at one end only, at a fixed point in such path, to swing vertically in the latter and having the other end the swing of the i lli free, and means for automatically moving said bar to the locked position when said door is moved from said abutment.

3. A sliding door, a fixed abutment in the path of the edge of saiddoor, a bar of substantially the same length as the distance between said edge and abutment to be normally disposed substantially horizontally between such edge and abutment, and means coperating with said bar to prevent movement of the door toward the abutment during the closing movement of the door when said bar approaches its horizontal plane.

4. A sliding door, a fixed abutment in the path of the edge of said door, a bar lo ated in such path between such edge and said abutment, said bar pivoted at one end to swing vertically in such path, and arranged to lie horizontally extended in such path in engagement with such edge and said abutment to prevent an opening movement of said door and to swing vertically to free said door and permit such movement, and means carried by said door for swinging said bar.

5. In a sliding door for an elevator shaft, a bar located in the path of the edge of said door between such edge and the opposite wall of said shaft, and arranged to lie extended in such path in engagement with such edge and such wall to prevent an opening movement of said door toward such wall and pivoted at one end to swing vertically in such path, a lever on said door, and connections from said lever to said bar to swing the latter.

6. In a sliding door for an elevator shaft, a bar pivoted on the edge of said door to swing vertically in the path of such edge and arranged to lie horizontally between such edge and a fixed abutment in the path of such edge and prevent an opening movement of said door, a lever pivotally mounted on said door, connections from said lever to said bar to swing the latter, and yielding means opposing such swinging movement.

7. In sliding door for an elevator shaft, a bar pivoted on the edge of said door to swing vertically in the path of such edge and arranged to lie horizontally between such edge and a fixed abutment in the path of such edge and prevent an opening movement of said door, a lever pivotally mounted on said door, connections from said lever to said bar to swing the latter, and a spring tending to draw said bar to the horizontal position.

8. In a sliding door for an elevator shaft, a bar pivoted on the edge of said door to swing vertically and arranged to lie horizontally between such edge and a fixed abutment in the path of such edge and prevent an opening movement of said door toward said abutment, a sleeve slidably mounted on said bar, and a lever mounted on said door and connections from said lever to said sleeve to swing said bar.

9. In a sliding door for an elevator shaft, a bar pivoted on the edge of said door to swing vertically in the path of such edge and arranged to lie horizontally between such edge and a fixed abutment in the path of such edge and prevent an opening movement of said door toward said abutment, a sleeve slidably mounted on said bar, a lever mounted on said door and connected to said sleeve to swing said bar, and a stop in the path of said bar to arrest its swing at the return to the horizontal position.

l0. In a sliding door for an elevator shaft, a bar pivoted on the edge of said door to swing vertically in the path of such edge and arranged to lie horizontally between such edge and a` fixed abutment in the path of such edge and prevent an opening moveg ment of said door toward said abutment, a sleeve slidably mounted on said bar, a lever mounted on said door and connected to said sleeve to swing said bar, a channeled guideway on said abutment receiving the free end of said bar, and a stop in said guide-way to arrest the swing of said bar at the return to the horizontal position.

11. In a sliding door for an elevator shaft, a bar pivoted on the edge of said door to swing vertically in the path of such edge and arranged to lie horizontally between such edge and a fixed abutment in the path of such edge and prevent an opening movement of said door toward said abutment, a sleeve on said bar, a lever mounted on said door and connected to said sleeve to swing said bar, a roller in the free end of said bar, a channeled guide-way on said abutment receiving said roller, a stop in said guide-way 'f to arrest the downward movement of said roller on the return of said bar to the horizontal position, and a spring tending to draw said bar to the horizontal position.

12. In a sliding door for an elevator shaft, i

a bar pivoted on the edge of said door to swing vertically and arranged to lie horizontally between such edge and a fixed abutment, a sleeve on said bar, a lever mounted on said door and connected to said sleeve to swing said bar, and cushioning means on said door for softening the impact of said bar at the termination of its vertical swing and initiating the downward swing of said bar and the closing movement of said door.

13. In a sliding door for an elevator shaft, a bar pivoted on the edge of said door to swing vertically and arranged to lie horizontally between such edge and a fixed abutment, a sleeve on said bar, a lever mounted on said door and connected to said sleeve to swing said bar, a roller in the free end of said bar, a channeled guide-way on said abutment receiving said roller, and a stop in said guide-way to arrest the downward movement of said roller, said guide-Way having slots above said stop adapted t0 serve as engaging means for Said roller in its descent in said guide-Way.

14. A sliding door, a fixed abutment in the path of the edge of said door, and a strut interposed between and having bearing against said abutment and edge, disposed substantially horizontally and in a line parallel With such path to resist movement of the door toward the abutment in the locked condition, said strut pivoted at one end only, at a Xed point in such path, to swing vertically in the latter, and having the other end free to rise in such path in the unlock- 15 above set forth I affix my signature, in pres- 20 ence of tWo Witnesses.

AUGUSTUS J. HOLM.

Witnesses:

CHARLES R. SEARLE, HENRY L. WASHBURN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

